The Penguin Meets A Fox
by Jem Fukuyama
Summary: Batman and Robin are having trouble with a new villain in Gotham, a jewel thief named Shadow Fox. Meanwhile Dick Grayson starts falling for a new girl that just moved into town from Lacrymose Town who happens to be staying with none other than Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot! there a connection? find out here in Penguin meets a Fox!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- A penguin meets a fox

**I was watch Batman the animated series on the Hub when I created this; it was the episode whee the penguin decides to change his ways, but ends up getting played by some rich woman. I felt bad for the penguin so I decided to make a fiction based on a new friendship with one of my favorite Oc's Shadow (mariko) Fox. Now, ONWARD TO THE BATTLE FIELD!**

Friendship among villains is hard to find, true friendship among villains is even harder. However for the Penguin, Oswald Cobblepot, said friendship would be easier and closer than he would think.

~0~

"Alright pups let's try not to get the police involved tonight, shall we?" A young, probably in her late teens, woman with black hair said, she wore a big black hat and trench coat, she stood in front of the Gotham City museum with two odd looking partners.

"Yes, Miss Shadow." Said a small black haired fox with a white tip on its tail. She was to the left of the woman now known as Shadow. A large wild looking mutt with a spiked collar stood to the right of her.

"Spike, do you remember you post?" Shadow asked, the dog—spike—nodded.

"Kitty?" she asked, the fox also nodded. Shadow smirked.

"Alright pups let's rob this city blind." She said, taking off the coat and hat to reveal black fox ears and a bushy black tail.

"Not so fast foxy." A disembodied voice said, Shadow turned to see a man, probably about her age dressed in red tights and cape with an 'R' on his chest and wearing a mask. Shadow cocked an eyebrow.

"And just who are _you_ supposed to be?" she scoffed, the masked boy glared.

"I'm Robin; and you Foxy are under arrest." He shouted pointing at Shadow.

"Oh, is that how it is? What a laugh; Spike." She said, looking to her dog. Spike stepped in between Shadow and the masked boy. He let out a growl, baring his teeth.

"Now I want you to take good care of this guy Spike, Kitty and I are going on ahead." Shadow said, turning and running off toward the museum. "Have fun."

"Geeze, way to leave the dirty work to a dog." He said looking down at Spike, who just stood there and growled. The masked boy gave it a look, "Is this thing going to do anything?"

"Oh I assure you, little boy, I'll be sure to put on a good show." Spike said, The boy took a jump back.

"It can talk!" he shouted, Spike smirked.

"And much more." He said, then ran at the boy , lunging and knocking him down and was now on top of him.

"You little boy, are going to be taught a lesson when it comes to vigilante justice." Spike then said, growling. Then stopped, sniffing the air, he then backed off.

"You're a clever little human pup aren't you." He growled, then turned running off toward the museum that Shadow and Kitty ran to.

~0~

"Oh, look at all the lovely jewels!" Shadow exclaimed, walking up to a class container filled with rare gems, "Here kitty, kitty."

Kitty ran up to Shadow, hopping onto the container, wagging her tail.

"Be a good fox-dog and open the case for me." Shadow said, Kitty nodded and began using her claws to cut through the glass. She stopped however when she saw a strange shadow loom over them. Shadow turned to see a man dressed in a bat costume. She let out a growl.

"Just how many men in tights am I going to see tonight?" she growled, showing her own fangs, the man stepped closer.

"You seem new in town, so I'll let you in on a little secret; villain like you are caught by me. The Batman." He said, Shadow laughed.

"Batman? Is that a joke? Well then; I'm Shadow fox. Jewel thief." She said dipping in a short bow, "And I believe you're in for a big surprise if you think you're going to stop me."

Batman then reached for his utility belt grabbing his baterang, when Spike came up from behind and pounced. Shadow and Kitty smiled.

"Good boy Spike, no let's get out of here." Shadow said, grabbing Kitty in her arms and smashing the container with her fist, and setting off the alarm. Spike, still on top of Batman leapt off, and running up to Shadow as she grabbed two or three rare gems and ran off towards a window, opening it.

"Better luck next time; Mr. Bat." She laughed, Batman looked up.

"You can't jump from here! We're on the 5th floor!" He shouted, Shadow laughed, then she and spike jumped when Batman came after her. When Batman thought they had leapt to their doom up they both flew up with a pair of real bat wings. She flew off only to have Robin tailing her from below.

"Batman, I'm going after the girl." He said through the communicator on his motorbike.

"Alright, don't let her get away." Batman said, then ran off toward the batmobile.

Shadow, thinking she was in the clear slowed a bit in her flight. Spike who was flying next to her growled.

"I wouldn't slow down now, Shadow, you've got company." He said, Shadow looked back, see the boy wonder tailing her from the ground.

"These people are more persistent than the Crown Jewel!" Shadow shouted, then began flying faster.

"Oh no, you're not getting away that easy." Robin shouted, pulling out a gun, and shot a long chord that wrapped around Shadow's legs, he then screeched to a halt. Causing Shadow to crash to the ground, dropping both her bag of gems and Kitty, Shadow glared as Robin stepped closer to her. She then growled, and like an injured animal began swiping at Robin when he got closer, he took a step back.

"You back off creep! One more step closer and I'll take your masked head off!" she shouted, growling as she did so.

"Spike! Take Kitty and my bag and take off! I'll catch up later!" She shouted up to spike who was still in the air. He nodded then swooped down, Kitty jumped onto his back and Spike grabbed the bag. They then flew off, leaving Shadow with Robin.

"You sure act more like an animal than your pets." Robin said, Shadow growled.

"Don't under estimate me! I'm Shadow Fox! Renowned jewel thief of Lachrymose Town!" she shouted, baring her fangs.

"What on earth is going on out there?" Shouted a grumpy voice Shadow and Robin turned to their attention to a somewhat portly man wearing a suit and monocle on one eye holding an umbrella.

"This doesn't concern you Penguin." Robin said, Oswald Cobblepot narrowed his eyes at the boy, as he began to walk closer to Shadow.

"Not so fast bird boy." He said, aiming his umbrella at Robin, and shooting off a round of bullets. Robin jumped back, running off to his motorbike and speeding off. Shadow looked to the penguin.

"Fancy umbrella; but you realize now you're an accessory to my escape." She asked looking up at him. The Penguin shrugged.

"Trust me little girl you wouldn't be my first crime." He said, moving to free her from her bonds, when Spike and Kitty jumped from the top of a tree and landed between the two.

"Don't you dare touch Shadow." Kitty growled, Shadow placed a hand on her fox-dog's head, petting her a bit.

"Relax you two, he wasn't going to hurt me." She said, then narrowed her silver eyes at him, "Were you?"

"I was simply going to release you from your bonds." The penguin said with a slight bow.

"I can do that myself." Spike growled, then used his teeth to snap the coiled cable. Shadow then stood.

"Sorry about that, the pups are overly protective of me." She said, then noticed she was just a bit taller than he was. "thanks for the save, a trip to the pound wouldn't be my idea of a good time."

"Shadow Fox." She said holding out her hand for a handshake, "But you can call me Mariko."

"Shadow, I don't think it's very wise to be letting your guard down around this guy." Spike growled. The Penguin rolled his eyes, and took Shadow's hand in his. Taking off his hat, and kissing it, a gesture that made Shadow give him a strange look.

"Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot." He said, Kitty leapt on to Spike's head.

"He's a bit of a weirdo aint he Spike?" she whispered. Shadow shot her a glare.

"Kitty, shut it." She growled, then thought, "Cobblepot, Cobblepot, that name is a bit familiar."

"It had better, I'm a Gentleman of Crime you see, one of high society and quality taste." Oswald said, Shadow looked up at what she assumed to be his house. It was very large.

"And an ego to boost." Spike said dryly.

"Spike, sit boy." Shadow ordered, Spike huffed but did what he was told. "High-society eh?"

"That would be correct." Oswald said, "And as a gentleman I would have in invite you inside, the night air is quite cold this time of year in Gotham, and with your lack of clothing I'm sure you must be freezing."

Shadow looked at her dress, and gave the penguin a strange look.

"Eh?"

"Just come inside." Oswald said a bit annoyed. Shadow shrugged.

"You don't mind dogs do you?" she asked, picking up her bag as Spike, with Kitty on his head, walked up to her. Oswald shook his head.

"That's good." She said then followed him inside.

~0~

"Wow, nice place ya got here Osy." Shadow said, looking around at the decore. It was mostly bird related things, but all the same she was very impressed.

"Please, make yourself at home. Any enemy of the Batman and his boy wonder is a friend of mine." Oswald said, Shadow gave a confused look.

"Batman?" She asked.

"You're obviously new to Gotham aren't you?" Oswald asked, Shadow nodded then plopped herself on his couch.

"Yep, I'm from Lachrymose Town. Real far from here actually." She said, "I'm only familiar with one vigilante, and she's well, she's almost as bad a joke as that boy back there."

"Says the woman who was nearly taken to Arkhem Asylum." Oswald said, Shadow sat up, letting out a low growl.

"I'm going to assume that's not a place I wanna be. and I was just caught off guard. Usually I just have to deal with one person and her mutt." She said, then jumped up.

"Yaknow you're probably the only person, aside from Spike and Kitty, who isn't very shocked by my appearance. Is this the norm around here or something?" she asked, walking toward a very large painting. Oswald moved closer.

"As a fellow misshapen person myself I'm not at all surprise when I see a child with a birth defect." He said. Shadow laughed.

"Birth defect…right." She said. "You sure got some pretty expensive and rare items in her Osy-boy." She said, Oswald narrowed his eyes.

"Please don't call me that, It's Oswald. Not Osy." He said, then noticed Shadow's bag, which happened to be a leather handbag, and a very expensive one at that.

"I see you've got some taste yourself Mariko." He said. Shadow turned her head and placed a hand on her hip.

"Actually that bag is a knock off; but the things inside, I assure you, are not." She said, her ears and tail twitching simultaneously. Oswald, being a very curious person at that moment, reached for the bag, only to nearly get his hand bitten off by Spike.

"It's fine Spike. It's not like he's going to steal them right here in front of me." Shadow laughed, Oswald then picked up the bag, seeing the gems inside.

"So you're a thief are you?" he said, going into defensive mode. Shadow's ears folded over, in annoyance.

"Yes, but it's not like I'm going to rob a guy who just saved my tail. I'm not an ungrateful mutt fyi." She said, then a thought came to her mind.

"Say, yaknow we could both benefit from partnering up." She said with a sly grin. Spike and Kitty gave their master a look.

"Partner you say?" Oswald asked. Shadow nodded.

"I'm still new, but I know how to break into a place without leaving so much as a trace." She said, "Not counting what happened tonight, and you know more about Gotham than I do, more specifically you know more about that creepy old man in tights."

"Sorry kid, I've only pared up with the Joker, and that usually never turns out well." Oswald said.

"That's fine, I'm being in a partnership with you, birdboy, would result in Shadow's wings being clipped." Spike growled.

"Yeah." Kitty said. Shadow walked over to her dogs, and let out a growl.

"Let's not forget who's the alpha here, got it mutts?" she shouted, then turned to Oswald.

"We could split the prophets fifty-fifty." She said holding out her hand, "Plus having a few guard dogs around would probably help ya keep the place safe from…others."

Oswald thought this over a moment in his head. Whilst it could end in prophets for him, he really didn't feel as if some young hatchling could be able to take on Batman and still escape. However if she _was_ as good as she claimed it might be a really good deal. So he decided to take a chance.

"Miss Mariko, you've got yourself a deal." He said kissing her hand in the gentlemanly way. Shadow's ears slanted.

"Ok, ya gotta stop don' that it's givin me the creeps." She said the fur on her tail standing on end. Oswald narrowed his eyes.

"You're not accustomed to gentlemen are you?" he asked, Shadow's ears perked.

"If by gentlemen you mean, back alley gang wannabes and crooks, then yes." She said. Oswald sighed.

** Yay, 1****st**** chapter complete! What'd you think? Yes Shadow Fox, Spike, and Kitty are recycled Oc's from my sonic the hedgehog fiction. In this one Spike doesn't call Shadow 'Miss' however he and kitty are both extremely protective of Shadow. And you'll soon find out why. Review please.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**So you met (re-met if you've read my sonic the hedgehog fiction) Shadow 'Mariko' Fox. Ha! I hope you guys like it, though given the lack of views compared to my Young Justice fiction I don't see that happening. But, I'm pessimistically optimistic, so I shall keep typing up my story until I finish, oh and I'll be refuring to shadow as with both names, so read carefully. Now ONWARD TO THE BATTLE FIELD!**

The next morning, Oswald awoke to the sound of howling. He sat up in bed, a little annoyed.

"What on earth is that?" he grumbled, getting out of bed and walking to his living room where he saw Shadow, stretched out asleep on his couch, wearing nothing but an oversized T-shirt. Kitty, her fox-dog lying on top of her, her other more wolf looking dog Spike, staring out the window, howling.

"Would you cut out that exceedingly annoying racket!" Oswald shouted, he had nearly forgotten what had transpired last night, until now. Spike stopped, turning his head towards Oswald.

"Oh shut-up birdboy." Kitty growled stretching and then laying lazily back down on top of Shadow. "We're dogs it's what we do."

"Well stop that, it's quite annoying." Oswald said then looked down at Shadow who, incidentally, was still sound asleep, her black fox ears twitching.

"How in God's name does she sleep through that? Especially with ears of a dog?" He asked. Spike sniffed.

"She blocks out what she doesn't wish to hear." He muttered looking back out the window. Kitty's ear twitched.

"You wouldn't happen to know a person by the name of Mr. J, would you?" she asked. Oswald gave the fox-dog a questioning look.

"There's a human man walking up your walkway wearing a purple suit." Spike said matter-o-factly.

Oswald walked over to his window, to see The Joker, and Harley Quinn walking up his drive. He groaned, the last thing he needed right now was _him_ noticing the stray dog he had brought in last night.

"Should I wake Miss Shadow, Spike?" Kitty asked, still lying on their master. Shadow grunted in her sleep as Spike looked to Oswald.

"No, I'll just meet with the Joker and Harley out in the entry room." Oswald said looking over to Shadow. Though it didn't seem as though she would be disturbed if Joker came bursting through the front door. Which incidentally he did.

"Good morning Penguin!" Joker shouted, his usually twisted grin spread wide across his face as he entered the room. Oswald turned toward the Joker and Harley who stood at the entrance of his living room. Spike got one look at the Joker and a growl bubbled in his throat.

"What's with the mutt Oswald? I thought you were a bird person." Joker said, not seeing Shadow on his couch, until he sat plopped down on Oswald's couch, and landed on Shadow's tail. She awoke with a pained yelp.

"Who's the jerk that's sitting on my—"Shadow cut herself off when he saw the surprised look on Joker's face. She then growled yanking her tail out from under him and sat up, Kitty sliding down onto her lap.

"Who the heck are you." She growled stroking her tail where Joker had sat on it.

"This, my newly acquainted friend, is Joker and Harley Quinn." Oswald said, Shadow narrowed her eyes at Joker and then shifted her gaze to a woman dressed in a harlequin clown suite.

"Great." She said dryly, "I hate clowns."

The Joker frowned as Spike walked past him over to Shadow and sat.

"And what's wrong with clowns? Afraid?" he asked annoyed, shadow shrugged.

"You wish smiley!" she growled, Oswald sighed, perhaps he should have let Kitty wake her sooner.

"So, Penguin what's with the kid?" Joker asked as Harley sat down next to Shadow.

"Hiya kiddo, I'm Harley Quinn, you can just call me Harley." She said. Shadow's ears twitched curiously.

"Shadow Fox." She said, introducing herself as well.

"This is Mariko, a young pup I saved from the bat's boy wonder." Oswald said, Joker eyebrows rose in interest.

"Ah so little Foxy's ran into the bat already eh?" he asked, Shadow's ears folded backward.

"Yeah, I did." She said flatly. Joker laughed, making Shadow, and her dogs wince in pain.

"Only been here one day and you've already gotten old Batsy on your tail? I don't think anyone's been that careless eh, Harley-kins?" He said, then laughed again, causing shadow to cover her ears.

"Ah! He sounds like nails scratch against glass!" Kitty shrieked, making Joker stop immediately.

"The mongrel can talk eh? Just what are you?" he asked, picking up Kitty by the scruff of her neck.

"What's wrong joker don't know a genetically modified fox-dog when you see one?" Shadow scoffed, grabbing him by the wrist as he let go of Kitty.

"You're beginning to annoy me mutt." He said. Shadow smirked.

"Clown boy's not too happy now is he?" she said, then stood, holding Kitty in her arms. "Anyway, Osy, I'm going out to my car for a change of clothes."

With that she walked away, her tail swishing behind her. Joker turned to Oswald.

"So you let some kid spend the night with you? What's wrong Penguin got a soft side for children?" he mocked. Oswald shook his head.

"That's hardly the case. I simply saved her from Robin when he had her cornered in my yard." He said, "It would have been ungentlemanly to send her off after finding out she only recently relocated here."

"So what's her record? Or do you even know that?" Joker asked with a grin.

"Just look in that bag." Oswald said, grabbing Shadow's hand bang and tossing it to the clowns. Joker grabbed it, and he and Harley peered inside.

"Oh, look at all the pretties." Harley said, admiring one of the diamonds she plucked out of the bag.

"Say aren't these from the Gotham City museum? I don't think anyone's gotten this many rarities or anything out of there." Joker said, impressed. Oswald nodded.

"She's also a pretty good negotiator." He said, "We've entered a small partnership."

"For some kid she's pretty clever right Mr. J?" Harley said.

"I'm impressed, I'll admit. Of course it could just be beginner's luck. Even Batsy can have a bad day." Joker said, only to hear a low growl.

"You'd be a smart clown not to under estimate me, Joker." Shadow said, returning from her car, and was now wearing a black halter top with a long skirt that covered her tail and a skullcap which covered her ears. She leaned against the door lazily with her dogs next to her.

"I'm not just some kid, I'm famous among the police and others back in my home town." She said. "I've been stealing rare gem stones for as long as I can remember, and I've never been caught."

"Except when old Batsy caught you last night and penguin here save your tail." Joker said. Shadow smirked.

"Still not behind bars am I?" She asked arrogantly. "I do have Osy to thank for that, I'll admit though, I'm not an ungrateful mutt."

"Newbie's luck." Joker said, this time Spike and Kitty did the growling.

"Don't underestimate me! I may not look like much but I could rob you and the rest of this city blind in a matter of days if I wanted to." Shadow said, annoyed. Joker looked over to her and smiled evilly.

"Prove it."

~0~

Meanwhile in the bat-cave, Batman and Robin were looking into their new little fox-eared friend.

"She called herself Shadow Fox last night." Robin said, recalling when Shadow had been in his grasp last night.

"Let's see what we can dig up on the computer." Batman said typing away on his large high-tech computer key board. When the compute finished they got several hits.

"Says here she's a jewel thief from a town called lachrymose." Robin said, looking at the screen.

"Shadow Fox, no known alias's. Shadow along with her fury partners, also of unknown names, have stolen countless pieces of fine jeweler y and rare gemstones from all over Lachrymose town." He read aloud.

"Sounds like a certain Catwoman I know." Batman said. Robin nodded and continued reading.

"Also says she escaped from jail a few days ago but no one on the police force there have seen hide or tail of her." He continued. Batman frowned.

"Because she's been making her way to Gotham." He said, "We've got to find this fox eared freak."

"Hang on, there's something else." Robin said pulling up a news article from lachrymose town. It read 'Crown Jewel thwarts theft attempt by Shadow Fox.' And the picture with the article had a girl with blonde hair and green eyes wearing a tiara and somewhat skimpy Japanese school girl outfit (dangerously close to sailor moon's) and Shadow fox in hand cuffs. Batman looked at the image for some time, reading the article.

Apparently The Crown Jewel was a vigilante; fighting and sometimes defeating, Shadow in her attempts to steal items from museums and jewelry stores. No one knew who this girl was or why she did it, but the towns people seemed to be very happy that she did. Recently she had Shadow in custody only shortly after a heist with three other people. Shadow escaped jail however the other three had been caught the moment they set foot out of prison. Now The Crown Jewel was on the search for Shadow, to drag her back to jail.

"Whoever this Crown Jewel girl is, I think she'd be our best bet in helping us bring that thief to jail." Robin said, Batman nodded.

"But how are we supposed to get ahold of this girl? It's not like she has her own signal." Robin pointed out.

"I don't know, but if this Shadow Fox strikes again, she might get word of it." Batman said. Robin turned to batman.

"So then are you saying we wait until she makes another robbery attempt?" he asked.

"Unfortunately it's the only option we have." Batman said.

~0~

"So, let me get this straight." Shadow said, standing outside Gotham's city bank. She had gone there with the Joker, and Penguin, in an attempt to show them just how good she was. "You want me to break into this place?"

"That's right, unless you don't think you can do it." Joker said, Shadow looked the building up and down.

"This is definitely different than my normal venue." She said, then cocked her head to the side. Joker laughed.

"Ha! I knew a kid like you couldn't do it." He said, Shadow and her gang snapped their attention to Joker.

"Oh, we can do it. I only meant that it's a bit lower in security than back home." She growled, then removed her skullcap, her ears twitched in response of the cool air. She was quiet for a while, long enough for the Joker to grow impatient.

"What the holdup little fox girl? Lose your nerve?" he asked, tapping his foot. Shadow growled.

"Oh would you just shut up? I can't hear anything with you talking like some impatient old man!" she shouted, "Geeze."

"With all due respect Miss Mariko, we are a bit pressed for time." Oswald said. Shadow sighed.

"Yeah-yeah, keep your shoes on." She said, letting her tail slide out from behind her. "I'll be back in a flash."

Then her wings ripped through her shirt. Joker stared.

"Now there's something you don't see every day." He said, Shadow rolled her eyes then used her wings to hover a bit.

"Anything in particular you want from this bank? Or do you just want me to just bring out some random wad of cash?" She asked.

"Surprise me." Joker said. Shadow rolled her eyes.

"Let's go Kitty. Spike, stay put and keep an eye and ear out for that caped freak." She said, as she grabbed Kitty and flew to the top of the building. Spike turned away from the bank and faced the road. Sitting like a guard dog should.

"Interesting mutt she's got there eh? Penguin?" Joker asked. Penguin sighed, if only he had a clue.

~0~

"Master Bruce, it seems there's been a break-in at Gotham's downtown bank." Alfred said, turning the TV on in the living room where Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson were sitting.

"looks like that Shadow Fox girl couldn't even wait one day before she made another attempt." Bruce said. Dick nodded. It was now time to suit up and head into town.

~0~

"Tch, not much of an assortment is there Miss Shadow?" Kitty said, looking around. Shadow shrugged.

"Not like we had much choice; there's no way I'm gonna let that clown make a fool out of me." She growled.

"Miss Shadow, you realize that when this is said and done, Spike is gonna scold you for letting Joker ruffle your fur." Kitty said, Shadow sighed.

"Yeah-yeah he can scold me all he wants; I'm still the alpha and he's still my beta." She said. "Now let's hurry up before we get caught."

Kitty nodded and then began sniffing around, meanwhile Shadow rummaged through some of the cashboxes.

"Tch, of course nothing nice, no gems golden collars or anything." She finally said slamming the boxes closed.

"What do you suppose we do then Miss?" Kitty asked.

"Let's just grab whatever we see." Shadow said, then began swiping things from the boxes. Kitty followed suit then suddenly turned growling. Shadow also turned to see Robin standing behind them.

"What the heck? How'd you sneak up on me without spike giving any indication?" Shadow growled. Robin smirked.

"You mean your weird wolf dog? He's been taken care off as for you foxy, you're going right back to jail." He said. Shadow ran at Robin, swinging her bag at him. He dodged, ducking as she jumped over him.

"Oh honey you're just too cute." She said, as Kitty ran into her arms. "However, I'm a bit late. See you next time birdy."

With that she ran off to the roof, looking down to see that the Joker and Penguin had fled. Shadow sighed.

"Looks like we're on our own Kitty." She said, Kitty snorted, then made her way into Shadow's bag.

"Let's just hope Spike's not in that Batguy's hands." She said. Shadow nodded, then heard Robin close behind.

"You're not goin anywhere but Arkhem Asylum." Robin shouted, Shadow laughed.

"That's what you think." She said, then her wings appeared.

"And this time," She began letting her claws come out, she swiped at Robin's utility belt tearing it off and now holding it in her hands. "You won't be able to use this to get me."

"Why you..!" Robin shouted, running at Shadow, but missed when Shadow jumped.

"So you later cutie." She said, then flew off.

"Darn it; she got away again. This isn't going to be good." Robin said, as Batman walked up to him.

"Looks like we'll have to try again another day." Batman said putting a hand on Robin's shoulder.

~0~

"You think that Shadow girl got away from Batman Mr. J?" Harley asked, the three, and Spike had made it back to the Penguin's home. Penguin, who had been getting long hard glares from Spike, was feeling a bit uneasy for leaving Shadow behind. Even if it was to get away from Batman and his boy wonder.

"I'm sure the mutt's just fine. If not she'll just spend a little time, she is a minor after all." Joker laughed, Spike let out a growl.

"Oh relax Fido, I'm sure your momma is just fine!" Joker then said.

"I don't know Joker, perhaps we should have given Miss Mariko a bit of warning before running off like that." Penguin said, then jumped when he heard his front door slam. The trio turned to see Shadow walk into the room, then throw her bag onto Joker's lap.

"_Never_, say I can't do _anything_ **ever** again." She growled, then as Joker opened the bag she grabbed his arm, "And for the record, not one penny or gem goes to you."

"Excuse me?" Joker asked, his smile slipping, Shadow growled.

"_You_ didn't steal anything, _you_ didn't nearly get caught by that Batman, so _you_ don't get jack!" She said, poking Joker in the chest as she did.

"You're a real cocky little brat aren't you?" Joker asked Shadow crossed her arms.

"I've been called worse." She said, then turned to Oswald.

"I think I'm going out for a bit, I'll see you later." She said then walked out, placing her hat back on her head as she left.

**Ok yeah I'm not too proud of this chapter, but I finished it. Sorry it's so choppy. Next chapter will better I promise. My brain is poop right now. Sorry, please review, I'll be seein ya next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

** Last chapter Shadow met Joker and Harley Quinn (one of my favorite batman badies) and Joker called her out on her abilities. So shadow, not being one to be underestimated proved she could play with the big boys. (sorta) Now Shadow's letting off some steam after being left behind by the Joker by going into town. Now ONWARD TO THE BATTLE FIELD!**

"Think we should call in this Crown Jewel person?" Dick asked, Bruce was silent.

"Come on batman, this is the second time she's gotten away! Shouldn't we at least look into her? Do some background checks or something." He said.

"I'm sure we'll find her if we look, it's not like she has anywhere to go in an area she doesn't know quite yet." Bruce said, Dick shook his head.

"Whatever man, I'm going out." He said, then grabbed his jacket and was out the door.

~0~

"Stupid, clown-faced freak!" Shadow grumbled under her breath as she walked the streets of Gotham. She was still seething from the whole thing between her and The Joker, man did that guy get under skin. Shadow was so into her own dwelling mind she didn't even realize how deep into the city she had gone until she looked up at Gotham's Clock Tower.

"Oh great; where am I?" she grunted, she ears twitched with annoyance under her hat. Maybe she should have brought Spike with her or something. Now she was lost. Shadow sighed, no reason to stay ticked off now.

"Now what should I do?" She thought, not knowing much about Gotham she didn't have much to go on. Shadow sighed, "Guess I'll just keep walkin around 'til I find somewhere that seems familiar."

~0~

Meanwhile Dick Grayson walked around town, trying to find his favorite fast food place. When he saw a girl looking a bit lost he stopped, looking her over. She was very attractive, from what he could see from behind. She had shoulder length black hair, thin with a slight tan. She wore a black skullcap, red halter top, and a long black skirt. Dick stared; she was dressed like it was summer and it was nearly fall.

"Excuse me miss." He asked, the girl turned and narrowed her eyes at him. Eyes, which he noted were a beautiful silver color.

"Can I help you?" She asked, Dick stared for a moment. "Hello?"

"Sorry; I was actually seeing if you needed help." He said shaking his head, the girl cocked an eyebrow.

"You seem lost is all." He then said, the girl smiled.

"Y-yeah I guess you could say that. Just moved here the other day actually." She said scratching behind her head. Dick smiled back.

"Well I could show you around if you want." He offered.

"Oh wow, would ya? I'd really appreciate that." The girl said, Dick nodded, and the two began walking.

"By the way I'm Dick Grayson." Dick said, the girl looked up at him.

"Dick huh? Yaknow the last person I met with that name was indeed. She said pointing to herself with a laugh, then pointed to herself, "Mariko."

"Got a last name Mariko?" He asked. Mariko shook her head as they walked down the street.

"Not really." She said. Dick frowned, making Mariko pause.

"Oh I'm sure I do have one." She said with a grin, Dick cocked an eyebrow.

"You don't know?" he asked.

"Not really." Mariko said, then began walking again, "But a first name is enough right?"

"I guess but how do you do anything? You can't really get a job or anything without a last name." Dick said, Mariko placed her hands on her hip and walked ahead.

"You sure ask a lot of personal questions for a guy that just met me." She said. Dick's face turned red.

"Sorry." He said. Mariko laughed.

"Relax dude, it's fine." She said, "So you gonna show me around or what?"

Dick nodded then ran to catch up to her.

~0~

About an hour or so later the two found themselves inside a fast food restaurant, laughing about god only knew what. The two had gotten to know each other pretty well over their time together.

"So Mariko where did you move from?" Dick asked. Mariko shrugged.

"Some town way, way…waay far from here." She said, "It was a real snooze fest; I came here hoping it'd be different."

"So it's excitement you want huh?" Dick asked, "Well as far as that goes you've got it. Though I'd stay out of that if I were you."

"Oh? And why's that?" Mariko asked.

"Well Gotham's got a lot of freaks running around here." Dick explained, "Lots of criminals and stuff, you sure a girl like you can handle all that?"

Mariko frowned, causing Dick to feel uneasy. She then gave a sly smirk.

"I'm sure I can take care of myself; I already had a few run ins with a few of those freaks you were talking about." She said.

"You have?! Who?" Dick asked, Mariko rested her head in the palm of her hand.

"Oh, just this weirdo dressed in a clown costume." She said nonchalantly. Dick sat up in his seat.

"The Joker?!" he shouted, Mariko leaned back.

"That's his name?" She asked, then snorted letting out a sarcastic laugh, "Wow that's such a clever name for a guy dressed as a clown."

"You should be more careful, that guy's twisted." Dick said. Mariko titled her head.

"I figured that. Any guy who dresses up like a clown is obviously a madman." She said, "But he was more annoying than twisted."

"Either way I'd be careful if I were you, the crooks around here are more than just back ally gangs and thieves." Dick said. Mariko looked up at him.

"You seem pretty protective of a girl you barely know." She pointed out. "Have a self-duty of protection or something?"

"You…might say that." Dick said, Mariko smiled sweetly.

"You can relax. I've been on my own for a long time; I know how to take care of myself." She said, placing her hand on his. Dick blushed a bit, then Mariko stood suddenly.

"Something wrong?" he asked, looking out the window to which Mariko's eyes were fixated on. Mariko stopped him however, smiling.

"I lost track of time; I should get back. I'm sure my….ah roommate would be mad if I came back too late." She said. Dick went to stand.

"I can walk you home if you want." He offered.

"No! I mean no that's ok, I can manage on my own." She said, Dick cocked an eyebrow; suddenly Mariko was acting strange. She went to leave but Dick stopped her.

"Ok; uhm, can I see you tomorrow?" he asked. Mariko smiled.

"Yeah; sure." She said, "But I've really got to go." She said then took off from the restaurant.

"We should meet at the Gotham Clock tower!" Dick called out, Mariko nodded.

"Ok! See you then." She called back, then took off.

~0~

Once Shadow exited the restaurant she let out a low growl as Spike came walking down the street.

"This had better be good Spike." She growled. Spike nodded.

"We've got another place to rob." He said. Shadow's ears perked under her cap.

"Oh? Do tell." She said.

"Not here, at Penguin's." Spike said, Shadow nodded, then followed her dog back to the Penguin's home.

~0~

"Alright Osy; what's this place I was told about?" Shadow asked once she had made it back with Spike.

"It's a dinner party; all the people of high society will be there." Oswald said. "And don't call me Osy."

"So wait no sneaking in? No avoiding alarm systems?" Shadow said, a look of discomfort on her face.

"No; just a quick crashing of a party. Why?" Oswald asked. Shadow laughed in disbelief.

"In case you haven't noticed I'm not the best person you'd invite to a party!" She shouted ripping off her cap showing her ears, "In case you've forgotten I'm a freak! I can't cover this up with some make-up."

"Not to worry. I have the perfect disguise for you." Oswald said, pointing to a black dress that puffed out at the skirt and matching matching floppy hat on the couch. Shadow's ears and tail drooped.

"Oh…great." She groaned, Kitty and Spike snickered.

"It'll be a real gag to see Miss Shadow all dolled up eh Spike?" Kitty laughed, Shadow's ears folded over in annoyance.

"Shadow at a high society party? Haha!" she continued, Shadow threw her bag at Kitty, who yelped and jumped to avoid it.

"Can it mutt!" She growled. Oswald thought for a minute.

"You can behave yes?" he asked, Shadow regained her composure.

"Of course; I can be a well-mannered pooch if I need to." She said, then grabbed up the dress and hat, "But we need to have a talk about how puffy this thing is."

"I thought it would be the best way to hide your tail." Oswald said, Shadow turned.

"How considerate." She said, kind of blankly. The words came out dry with no emotion behind them, it was a tone that somewhat put Oswald off. Shadow then walked off to go change, Spike and Kitty following.

~0~

A few hours later, Dick Grayson found himself at one of Bruce's friend's parties. Valery Vee, known for throwing the best parties, he was bored out of his mind. These kinds of things were pretty boring, so he decided to find himself a good spot on a far off wall and stand there, people watching. So far he had seen Valery Vee welcome everyone that had attended, a somewhat drunken guy try to make a pass at a woman, and Valery's snobby friend comment on how great the party has been so far.

Dick sighed, this was really boring. Until he caught a glimpse of a familiar thin girl, wearing a long puffy black dress walk passed him. She began mingling with some ladies that were clustered far off. He decided to walk up to her.

"Oh I just love you're bracelet. It's simply beautiful." Mariko said with a smile, eyeing a blonde girl's wrist which was adorned with a white gold cuff with a blue diamond.

"Oh this old thing? It was just lying around in my mother's old jewelry box. It's basically worthless." The girl said. Mariko's eye ticked.

"Oh? It still look like a real beauty." she asked holding up the girl's wrist, 'Snotty little brat; she's got no idea how much that thing's worth.' She then felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Mariko?" Dick asked, Mariko turned, and went a bit wide eyed then smiled.

"Grayson! Fancy seein' you here." She said, letting go of the girl's hand. Dick laughed.

"Hey why don't we head out to the fountain out back, it's much quieter for talking." He said, Mariko cocked an eyebrow.

"Only known me one day and you're already tryin to get me alone eh?" She said, Dick's face went red, Mariko laughed, then followed him to the back.

"Hey where'd my bracelet go?" the girl behind them mumbled as Dick and Mariko made their way to the back where they sat on the edge of the fountain.

"I never pegged you for a fancy party goer." Dick said. Mariko laughed.

"Oh I'm not, but my roommate is; he even bought me this frumpy thing." She said, referring to her dress.

"So then why are you here—not that I'm complaining." He asked.

"He said he'd take me around; show me some real great stuff around town." Mariko said, "This town really is all high society isn't it?"

"Yeah; but they're not all so snotty as that girl you were talking to." Dick explained. "Fact I would just ignore her."

"Why Dick, darling who on earth is you're adorable little friend?" A red haired woman asked, she was wearing a fox skin scarf. Mariko stared at it bit, letting a small growl bubble in her throat.

"Dana this is Mariko. Mariko this is one of my friends; Dana." Dick said. Mariko stared at Dana's scarf.

"Oh do you like it? It's very warm." Dana said, Mariko stood.

"Yeah I'm sure the snow fox that came off of thought so too." She hissed narrowing her eyes. Dana rolled her eyes.

"Oh my your one of those animal rights people aren't you?" she asked, Mariko stood.

"Yaknow I'm gonna go; I'm sure my roommate is looking for me." She said, then walked off, leaving Dick a bit uneasy.

** That's all folks…for now haha. Be ready for next chapter! Shadow(mariko) Fox takes begins to steal more pretty things. Please review reviews make me feel love….i'm not feelin the love today O.Q. take pity on me haha!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**I don't feel like writing A/N today. Sowy. I don't own Batman (uh DUH!) I do however own the Shadow (mariko) Fox, Spike, and Kitty. Now ONWARD TO THE BATTLE FIELD. Oh and I'll be calling shadow Mariko when she's around Grayson. In case you didn't know.**

"Where have you been Mariko?" Oswald asks once he spot Shadow off in a nearby corner.

"Nowhere in particular, just...socializing." Shadow said, pulling out her black bag and opening it to reveal several pieces of jewelry. The Oswald smiled.

"You've done fine work tonight Mariko." He said, Shadow smirks.

"Uh-Duh. I am a fox." She says, then snaps the bag shut, "Not to mention these people wouldn't notice if I stole their clothes."

"Well don't get cocky." Oswald said.

"Yeah-yeah, relax Osy. I'll be done as soon as I get a certain collar I found on this one woman." Shadow huffed, placing the strap back over her shoulder.

"What woman?" Oswald asked.

"Like I know who she is. She's with some pretty popular guy, looks like he knows his way around the gals." Shadow said, then pointed to a man with black hair.

"That's Bruce Wayne. Good luck trying to get in close to him and his female companion." Oswald said, "I wouldn't bother if I were you."

"If you were me you wouldn't be here, now would ya Osy?" Shadow said with a wink, then slid out toward Bruce Wayne.

~0~

"Mariko." dick exclaimed, Mariko jumped in surprise. She then turned towards him with a smile.

"Hey Grayson." She said with a bit of a forced smile.

"Hey Dick, who's your friend?" Asked a man with dark hair.

"Mariko, this is Bruce Wayne. He's the person I live with. He took me in when I was a kid." Dick said, Mariko's ears drooped under her hat. "Bruce this is Mariko. She just moved here a few weeks ago."

"Oh? Well hello Mariko, do you have a last name?" Bruce asked. Mariko placed a hand on her hip.

"Not really." She said with a smirk. 'well this is great I got close to him but now what I can really pick-pocket him while these two are staring.'

Suddenly there was a loud crash and two dogs came in, growling. The crowd in the building gasped as the larger of the two dogs jumped on the grand piano located in the room, and howled.

"Alright ya little rich guys and gals! Put your valuables in the bag and nobody gets hurt!" Shouted the smaller of the two, as the larger dog walked through the crowd holding a bag in his teeth.

"Come on you two." Bruce said moving Dick and Mariko to another room.

"What's going on?" Mariko asked, though she knew full well what was happening and who was doing it.

"Stay here ok Mariko?" Dick asked, Mariko titled her head.

"Uh, sure. But what are you two going to do?" She asked, genuinely curious.

"Don't worry about it, just stay here." Bruce demanded, then the two ran off. Leaving Mariko by herself, in a dark room. Once the two were out of sight, Mariko stripped down to a much tighter black dress that came to her knees with the back cut out down to her lower back. Her ears twitched as she removed her hat.

"Sorry Osy," she mumbled to herself then tossed the dress out the window. "but that thing was just way too frumpy for me."

~0~

"Hey lady, it's not like you're gonna miss the little ring. Now hand it over before I get really angry." Kitty growled, unsheathing her claws to a woman wearing a gold diamond ring.

"And here I thought there were no bad pets." A voice said behind the two, Kitty turned to see Robin standing behind her. Kitty growled.

"I've been wantin' to get back at you bird boy!" she shouted then ran at Robin, who dodged.

"So where's your owner Shadow huh little guy?" Robin taunted, then felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Right here." Shadow said then swung a metal tray, smacking him in the face. Shadow the turned to the crowd and took a bow.

"Well Rich boys n gals, it's been a real pleasure workin with ya!" She said, as Spike came to her side, and whispered something in her ear. "eh?"

"The batman; where is he?" Spike asked, Shadow's ears folded over as she looked around the room, only to be blindsided by Batman toppling her over, and pinning her to the ground.

"You creep! Get off me!" Shadow growled, "Spike!"

Spike growled baring his teeth as he charged at Batman and bit him in the shoulder. Batman wrenched upward in pain, letting go of shadow as she slipped away while Spike was now latched onto him.

"Now It's my turn to get in on the action!" Kitty said, only to be grabbed by Shadow.

"We don't need a string of dead bodies on our hands Kitten." She growled.

"Aw come on I wasn't gonna scratch 'im!" Kitty shouted, Shadow then whistled getting Spike's attention. He ran off toward the two.

"Well I guess we'll just make our exit now. See ya 'round batman!" Shadow shouted, then turned only to run into Robin.

"Ah great." She said in a less than enthused tone.

"Going somewhere Fox girl?" Robin asked, grabbing Shadow by the forearms.

"Hey let go of me! You creep!"Shadow shouted, dropping Kitty who dropped a bag.

"Not a chance you've just found yourself in a nice jail cell in Arkhem." Robin said, as Shadow began to struggle.

"I aint goin' no where with some creep like you!" she shouted. It was then that Oswald decided to make his presence known and stepped out of the aw-struck crowd wielding his mighty umbrella. (haha)

"Get your hands off her you sniveling brat!" he shouted pressing a button on his umbrella and a blade came out. He swiped at Robin who let go of Shadow to dodge the blow.

"Think now's a good time to get goin?" Shadow asked, grabbing kitty and whistling to Spike. Oswald nodded as the two made their escape.

"Dang it they got away!" Robin shouted, Batman stooped picking up the left behind knapsack of stolen goods.

"Not all bad, we got the bag before she could make off with too much." He said. Robin huffed, not at all pleased.

~0~

"Nice save back their Bird-boy!" Kitty shouted from the back of Oswald's car. Shadow slumped I her seat on the front passenger's side. She gave Oswald a look, then sighed.

"Yeah you really saved my tail again out there." she said. Oswald said nothing, Shadow gulped. When people were quiet like that it usually meant nothing good.

"Heh, well we did make off with a lot of stuff right pups?" Shadow went on nervously.

"Actually Shadow, when Robin grabbed you we had to leave behind the bag you dropped." Spike said, Shadow's ears drooped, just great.

"I see I'm making a habit of saving you." Oswald finally said, Shadow curled up in a ball in her seat as Oswald tossed her, her bag, "I'm starting to like a mother bird protecting her hatchling."

"Y-yeah." She said, then laughed as if the tension had gone. "Maybe I should start callin' ya papa-penguin ha!"

Penguin went quiet again, shutting shadow up the rest of the ride to his house.

~0~

"Master Bruce I really think we should get you to a doctor for that bite." Alfred said. He, Bruce and Dick were in the Bat-cave, "That dog that bit you could have been rabid."

"I don't think we have to worry about that, I can assure you the mutt was very sane." Bruce said, Alfred had placed bandages around the bite wound Spike had left in his shoulder.

"Now will you listen when I say we should get in contact with this jewel girl? She would know a lot about this Shadow!" Dick shouted, he had gotten fed up with not being able to catch Shadow.

"I already have, several time Dick, she hasn't made any effort to contact back." Bruce said wincing a bit from the pain in his shoulder.

"Oh that reminds me Master Bruce, there's a young girl here to talk to you. It seems she's quite a long way." Alfred said. Bruce groaned there was no way he could go meet with someone in this condition.

"I'll go see her." Dick said, removing his mask.

Moments later he found his way into the front room where a young blonde haired girl was standing staring at a large portrait of the Wayne Family, she had poodle-dog at her side. The dog barked making the girl jump. She then turned to Dick and blushed a bit.

"Oh my." She mumbled, "Uhm are you Bruce Wayne?"

"No, I'm Dick Grayson, Bruce isn't feeling well at the moment so I came to meet you instead." Dick explained, the girl looked to her dog.

"Oh! Right, I'm Mary Janice." The girl said, extending her hand, "I'm from Lachrymose town."

Dick cocked an eyebrow, but grabbed Mary's hand and shook. Mary blushed a bit, her dog seemed to roll her eyes.

"This is my dog, uh Poodles." Mary then said, Dick laughed.

"A poodle names Poodles huh?" he asked. Mary's face turned red.

"I-I was like ten when I named her." She said, then shook her head, "Uhm this may be a bit of an odd question, but you wouldn't by any chance be having…Fox troubles?"

Dick gave her a questioning look. Then Mary's dog, Poodles, let out a growl.

"Oh for the love—we're looking for Shadow Fox ya heard of her?" poodles growled. Mary's face froze.

"Who are you?" Dick asked, staring at the two. Mary sighed.

"Way to go Poodles." She muttered, "I'm the crown jewel, recently one of Lachrymose Town's worst criminals; Shadow Fox escaped prison."

"What are you doing here then?" Bruce's voice rang as he came into the room. Poodles growled, Mary jumped in surprise.

"Shadow tends to target big places like these. She loves the thrill of high stakes heists." Mary explained.

"Well, She hasn't been around here yet." Dick said.

"Then that makes you one of her next targets." Mary said, then began digging in her bag and pulling out a tiara and placed it on her head. "Consider your home protected by the crown."

Dick and Bruce looked to each other. This girl seemed to be a real weirdo, even if she was the same character from the newpaper.

"Oh that reminds me, does anyone in this town know how I can find a guy named Batman?" Mary asked, "I received a message from him but I couldn't trace the call to any one place."

"I'm sure if you're looking for him he'll find you." Bruce said, Mary crossed her arms.

"Well that's vague, but alright then. We'll come back later tonight I know Shadow she won't attack a house in broad daylight." She said, "Let's go Poodles. Oh thank you for your time!"

With that Mary and her dog, Poodles, left. Dick looked to Bruce.

"Guess you're call got through after all." He said. Bruce nodded.

"So what ever happened to that girl you met?" Bruce then asked. Dick slapped his forehead.

"Mariko! I forgot, she's probably mad at me for leaving her like that." He said, "Listen Bruce, I gotta find her."

"That's fine, I'm pretty sure I can take care of the Crown Jewel by myself." Burse said, then Dick ran out to see if he could find Mariko.

~0~

"So, what did we get?" Shadow sighed, laying on the couch of Oswald's house living room, Spike ad Kitty were sitting by Shadow's hand bag which had been tossed carelessly on the floor.

"Pretty much anything you've got in that bag." Spike said. Kitty huffed.

"I told you I shoulda scratched him when I had the chance. But _NO_—"

"Shut it Kitten. The last thing I need is that crown wearing blond loser chasing after me. Besides, I highly doubt that Oswald wants me to kill anyone." Shadow said, staring up at the ceiling.

"Only if it's necessary." Oswald said walking into the room. Shadow sat up.

"Oh, hey, Osy." She said, "About earlier—"

"Nothing to worry about. Now, come with me; I need a place to hide you. No doubt Batman will come by here if he sees you, you might as well say goodbye to your freedom, and hello to a new jail cell in Gotham." Oswald said, Shadow tilted her head.

"Why it's not like the old bat has you're place bugged is it?" she asked. Oswald just gave her a look.

"Wow…that's creepy." Shadow mumbled.

"It's more of a pain really." Oswald commented. Shadow stood, and clapped her hands.

"Alright pups let's get a move on." She said, Spike and Kitty then followed Shadow and Oswald.

"What about my car?" Shadow asked, once they were outside. She then pointed to an old red beat up VW she had parked in Oswald's driveway.

"My boys will be back later to take care of it." Oswald said, then ushered Shadow into his car.

Sometime later, Shadow, disguised as Mariko in a red baseball cap and long black skirt and T-shirt, was staring at a club called 'The Iceberg Lounge.' She turned back to Oswald.

"You own the place?" she asked pointing her thumb towards the building.

"Yes, I do, now quickly get inside." Oswald said, picking up Kitty from the backseat, Shadow snatching Kitty from his grasp.

"Sorry, Kitty's claws are poisonous, it's better if I hold her." She said noting Oswald's questioning look.

"Oh?" he asked as the four walked inside the club, which was really hopping with people.

"Wow, aint you the successful one!" Shadow shouted, Oswald gave her a look.

"You're lack of proper grammar troubles me Mariko." Oswald shouted back over the loud music and people, Shadow shrugged as she followed Oswald into a back room where Oswald's office was located, it was much quieter there.

"So you're dogs are poison hm?" Oswald asked, Shadow plopped down on a chair as Kitty and Spike sat by her on either side.

"Nah, just Kitty." She said, petting the small fox-dog. "She was used in experiments as a pup, until Spike n me found 'er. Animal testing is just cruel wouldn't you say?"

Oswald nodded, why he wasn't told this earlier he'll ask later.

"Anyway how long am I s'posed to stay here?" Shadow asked, Oswald looked out one of the windows that showed the club's dance floor. He then returned his attention to Shadow who cocked an eyebrow.

"Until I can manage to get the Batman out of my hair." He said, "I'll come back when the coast is clear."

"Til then I get to hang out here?" Shadow asked, leaning over in her chair and grinning.

"Don't do anything to draw attention to ourselves Shadow." Spike muttered. Shadow huffed.

"Exactly, so stay put, and I'll be back." Oswald agreed, then went to left, leaving shadow in his office.

Once outside of the office Oswald made his way down to the bar, and told the bar tender to keep an eye out for anyone other than him and Shadow heading toward his office. The bartender nodded then pointed out that Oswald had a dog behind him. Oswald turned seeing Spike sitting behind him.

"What are you doing here? You should be back there with your master." he said, Spike rolled his eyes as Oswald made his way outside the club.

"First of all Shadow is not my master she's my alpha, second I'm keeping an eye on you." Spike said, "Not to mention the music in your club gives me a head ache."

"Keep an eye on _me_?" Oswald repeated, "After the many times I've kept the girl safe you don't trust me?"

"You learn not to trust people when you've lived as long as I have." Spike said, walking ahead of Oswald and sitting next to the door of his car. Oswald scratched his head under his hat.

"You're a dog how long could you possibly have lived so far?" he mumbled, however he opened the door letting Spike in.

~0~

"Miss, I don't think we should be leaving the office! Spike and Oswald said to stay put." Kitty said, but Shadow was already out the door.

"There's just no way I'm sitting around, and Spike can kiss my butt." She said, "Besides I'm not gonna bring any unwanted attention."

"But Shadow…"

"If you wanna sit around go right ahead. I'm having fun." Shadow said, then ran out the door. Kitty watched as her Alpha leader ran down to the dance floor.

"Oh, Spike's not gonna like this when he hears about it." She groaned.

~0~

Meanwhile on the other side of Gotham Batman found Mary, the girl who visited them earlier and revealed that she was the Crown Jewel, the person that managed to put Shadow in jail numerous times in the past. She was dressed in a white shirt with a large red bow on the front, a short blue pleated skirt with handcuffs on her hip, on her lower back there was a rather large bow which tails nearly touched the ground, to top it all off she had red thigh-high boots and a golden tiara. She stood near an alley way.

Batman dropped down and surprised her and her dog Poodles.

"You must be the Crown Jewel." Batman said, "You shouldn't walk around out in the open with that outfit."

"Yeah sorry, I'm new, also you can just call me Jewel." She said, extending her hand, when Batman didn't make any move to return the favor she let it drop.

"So we hear you're having problems with a little black fox and her mutts." Poodles said with a growl, Batman raised a brow, then nodded.

"I have to apologize we never thought Shadow would skip town, she usually follows the same patterns." The Jewel said, Batman raised his hand silencing her.

"Not here." He said, then grabbed The Crown Jewel and pulled her into the alley where no one could see them. "Now keep your voice down."

"Like I was saying, Shadow follows a pattern every time she breaks out of jail—you've been bitten." The Crown Jewel said. Batman gave a shocked look.

"It's not that big of a deal, now, tell me about Shadow's patterns." He said, The Crown Jewel crossed her arms.

"It is when you deal with Shadow Fox and her dogs. Which one bit you? Was it the big one with the collar or the little black one?" she asked. Batman grabbed The Crown Jewel by the shoulders.

"That doesn't matter right now, stay focused!" he yelled, Poodles growled and bared her teeth at Batman.

"Sh-shadow's a jewel thief and pretty good actor, she always managed to make friends with rich guys, only to rob them blind later. Our best bet is to find whoever might be holding her." The Crown Jewel said. Batman let go of her and narrowed his eyes.

"Penguin."

**Review please.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Last chapter was pretty long, but hey I'm on a roll! Haha finally got some reviews! I'm finally feeling the love. Sorry for not posting in some while! Now ONWARD TO THE BATTLE FIELD!**

Dick Grayson searched all of Gotham, or at least that's how it felt to him, before he found himself at the Iceberg Lounge. It has a long line of people dying to get in. Dick rolled his eyes.

"Penguin sure knows how create a snazzy scene." He said, "Wish I had some way to get a hold of Mariko, this would be so much easier."

Just then he heard a familiar voice.

"Don't cha just love the swing club scene?" Mariko's voice said, coming out from inside the club. Dick ran over to her.

"Mariko! Listen I'm real sorry for leaving you at party." Dick said, Mariko shrugged.

"Meh it's fine, I ended up leavin not long after you anyway." She said, "Wish this place was a regular night club instead of a swing club. Don't you?"

Dick shrugged, he wasn't really big on the night club scene, swing clubs were ok enough for him.

"So Mariko I was wondering…"he began Mariko cocked an eyebrow, "If you're not busy later…would you like to go out with me?"

"Sounds fun." Mariko said somewhat eagerly as she got up close to him. Dick blushed, then Mariko's eyes narrowed as she turned to the club.

"But later; kay? I gotta clear something up with my—er roommate. So that he knows I'm gonna be home late." She said then walked back to the club. Dick nodded then remembered.

"Wait; can I get your number or something? Someway to get ahold of you?" he asked, Mariko smirked.

"Just meet me back here kay?" she said, then went back to Iceberg Lounge. "See ya tonight!"

~0~

"Not to judge you're detective skills; but doesn't this constitute as breaking-and-entering?" Jewel said, the duo had broken into The Penguin's home and were looking around. Batman turned back to Jewel and her dog.

"Not when it comes to criminals in Gotham." He said, suddenly the lights turned on. Batman looked over his shoulder and noticed that The Crown Jewel and her dog had made themselves scarce.

"I thought I heard a rodent in my kitchen." Oswald said, pulling out his umbrella. "Any particular reason you decided to drop by other than to make a nuisance of yourself?"

"Shadow Fox, is she around?" Batman demanded. Oswald glared.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about Batman." He said.

"I know for a fact she's with you; you've saved her tail at least twice since she's been here." Batman growled. Oswald placed his hands on his hips.

"Well I can assure you the mutt isn't here. Now get out before I call the police on _you_." He warned, Batman gave Oswald an unconvinced look, then turned to leave. He soon saw The Jewel and Poodles running around the corner. He gave the two a look that stopped them in their tracks.

"Sorry bout that Batman; but if your Penguin really is Shadow's new rich friend I couldn't risk him telling her I'm here." She explained. "But on the bright-side Poodles' got Shadow's scent."

"So then she was here, but that doesn't exactly prove much. Does it?" Batman asked. Jewel shrugged.

"Guess not, but this means we can track her down to wherever she's hiding." She said, Batman nodded then followed The Crown Jewel and Poodles down the road. Meanwhile Oswald had seen the trio from his window, he then heard a low growl behind him reminding him he still had Shadow's biggest mutt; Spike.

"You should phone your club; I'm going to go lead the three of them off Shadow's tail." He growled then went running after Batman and the others while Penguin phoned Shadow at the Iceberg Lounge.

~0~

"Come on Poodles where could they be?" Jewel asked, they had been following Shadow's trail for several hours. Poodles growled.

"Her scent is everywhere it's gonna take me a while to find a fresh one." She said, then stopped lifting up her head and growled.

"What is it girl?" Jewel asked.

"I smell a wolf." Poodles growled, there was a slight chuckle that escaped the shadows.

"I see you're still playing house pet, domestic." Spike chuckled as he stepped out from behind a nearby tree. The Crown Jewel readied herself for combat.

"How'd you know we were here Spike?" she asked.

"Unlike your domestic house dog who's sense of smell has deteriorated over years of being kept a lap dog," Spike said walking towards the trio, "My nose is still strong enough to sniff your stench a mile away."

Poodles growled stepping between Spike, Batman and The Crown Jewel.

"You wanna get to my partner and her new friend you're gonna have to get through me mutt." She growled.

"Oh; I'm not too worried about that." Spike chuckled, then growled and attacked the poodle.

"You two go after Shadow; I'll keep mutt-face busy." Poodles growled, "She's in downtown Gotham I know it!"

Jewel nodded, then gestured for Batman to follow her as the two ran for downtown Gotham.

~0~

Meanwhile at the Iceberg Lounge one of Oswald's workers came into the back room saying the 'the boss' was on the line. Shadow sat up from the lounge chair and took the phone.

"Yo."

"Yo? What is that? Is that really how you answer a phone?" Oswald asked, Shadow pursed her lips.

"Sorry; don't usually have someone high n fancy like you to correct me." She said, Oswald paused.

"Batman knows you've been here; he'll probably look around the Lounge to find you." He said, Shadow's ears perked under her hat.

"Then Kitty n me should probably hightail it to keep from getting caught eh Papa-penguin?" she said with a grin. "Good thing too. I was asked out tonight."

"By whom? You've only been here in Gotham for three days." Penguin growled. Shadow smirked.

"By a guy named Dick Grayson. He's a real cutie, I'll just hang with him tonight." She said, then hung up the phone tossing it back to the employee.

"Come on Kitty; you're gonna have to come with me." She then said picking up Kitty who was lying on the floor.

"Oh joy." The dog groaned.

~0~

Later that night, Dick Grayson was waiting outside the Iceberg Lounge for Mariko, he looked down at his watch.

"Wait what time did she say?" he asked himself, suddenly he felt someone tap his shoulder.

"Technically I didn't, but I'm glad you showed up now." Mariko said with a smirk. She was wearing a long black dress and hat.

"Oh I hope you don't mind; I couldn't find a sitter for my dog." She said, as she held up a black Fox-dog with a white tipped tail. Dick shook his head.

"No—no problem at all Mariko, course that means we have to go somewhere outside." He said, Mariko smiled.

"I like the outdoors." She said, Kitty gagged as the two walked down the street.

"I know, there's a nice outdoor café not far from here; I'm sure the little fox-dog would love it there, people bring pets there all the time." Dick said, patting kitten on the head.

"Sounds like fun." Mariko laughed.

~0~

"Give it up domestic; you're instincts are shotty at best, unlike mine." Spike said; he and poodles had been fighting for little over thirty minutes. Giving Batman and the Crown Jewel plenty of time to at least get some lead on where Shadow Fox could be. Poodles growled.

"You…wish." She said breathless, she lunged at Spike as the two melted into a blur of claws, fangs, and fur. It soon ended with Spike pinning Poodles down by collar.

"See what I mean? Breeds like you have been evolutionized to be dependent on a human master. You should have remained wild." Spike said with a growl. Poodles growled back.

"No thanks, the Jewel might be the one that feeds me but we're equals!" she barked, then bit Spike on the leg, he yelped releasing the poodle as she took off. Spike let out a loud growl, and chased after her.

"See ya mutt! You n Shadow aren't the only ones with wings!" Poodles shouted, pressing a button on her collar as a jet-pack like set of wings came from it and formed to her back. Spike jumped into the air bringing forth his own wings, as he flew over top of Poodles and straight forward.

"Where are you going?!" Poodles shouted, Spike looked over his back.

"I'm to assume you're going to find you're little blonde crowned master; so I'm going to find Shadow before you!" he said, then flew faster.

~0~

"How hard could it be to find a fox-ear freak?" Jewel groaned she and Batman had searched every place they could think of. "This would be so much easier with Poodles."

"Calm down; if your dog found Shadow's scent she shouldn't be too far." Batman said, the Crown Jewel looked up at it.

"You're awfully optimistic for a guy who wears all black." She mumbled, the two soon heard barking. They turned to see Poodles running after them.

"Poodles what—"

"No time! Spike got away from me! He's going to find Shadow and warn her we're here!" The dog growled cutting her off. Then ran ahead of the group, "This way! I've got her scent again she's close!"

~0~

"So what's your old town like Mariko?" Dick asked, the two had spent hours at the café Dick had recommended.

"Not much different from here; except a bit brighter." Mariko said, "We also have some weirdo running around in a high-tech sailor moon outfit rounding up criminals."

"Sounds like batman." Dick said. Mariko cocked an eyebrow.

"Batman? I've heard of that guy. Does every town and city have their own hero?" she asked. Dick shrugged.

"I dunno; I guess, I mean shouldn't every town have someone to make them feel safe?" he asked, "Though what do you think of his partner? You know Robin?"

"hm, he's cute but I'm not real big on birds." Mariko said with a laugh, "I'm a dog person."

Dick sat back in his seat and smiled as Mariko's pet fox-dog jumped on her lap. Dick looked to the dog, it was familiar.

"You're dog looks very familiar, you said she's a fox-dog right?" he asked, Mariko nodded.

"The fox-dog is a rare breed, they're a product of the black fox and the mini pincer Doberman." She explained stroking the dog's back. "They were bred to hunt fox better than a beagle or a hound dog. However once the sport of hunting a sing fox was outdated the fox-dog was cast away as nothing more than an unwanted mutt. My kitty is one of only one hundred of her breed."

Kitty barked and suddenly it came to him. Mariko, was really, Shadow Fox. The jewel thief that had been running around, the one he and Batman were after. Dick stared.

"Somethin' wrong?" Mariko asked, Dick shook his head. If he said something about her being Shadow, she may come to the conclusion that he was Robin.

"Nothing, sorry." He said, "It's just…kind of sad that there's only a hundred of these guys."

"Yeah but that's how humans are," Mariko said, "Which is why I plan on taking good care of the one I have."

"How do you plan to do that?" Dick asked, Mariko smirked and gave a little wink.

"Sorry, that's a bit of a personal idea." She said. Dick swallowed hard. This was bad, he had to get out of there, and contact Batman. If he could just somehow find an excuse to leave, he could do just that.

"Yaknow Dick, it's really nice of you to show me around Gotham." Mariko said suddenly. "Thank you."

"Uh yeah sure. Not a problem." He said, Mariko scowled.

"Are you sure you're alright? You're acting a bit strange all of a sudden." She said. Dick smirked and stood.

"Sorry, I just realized, I forgot I have to call Bruce to talk about something." He said, Mariko scowled.

"Everything alright?" She asked sincerely. Dick nodded, then excused himself from the table to a payphone. When he left Kitty snorted.

"He seems skittish." She said, Shadow scowled.

"Hush you, if anyone hears you talking in this place that flying rodent will no doubt find me." She said. Suddenly a sound that no one else could hear made Shadow's ears perk under her hat. She let out a low growl as Spike padded his way up to the duo.

"You have lousy timing." She growled. Spike's ears flattened to his head as he narrowed his eyes at the girl.

"Well excuse me Alpha, for informing you that we have a problem." He said sarcastically. Shadow cocked an eyebrow.

"What kind of problem?" She asked, eyeing the area for anyone who might be listening.

"One that wears a plastic tiara and carries around a talking poodle." Spike said, Shadow swore. "And they're on route to you right now."

Shadow bit her lip and looked back at the direction Dick had scurried off to. She didn't want to ditch him, but getting caught wasn't exactly her idea of fun either. She sighed, and found a napkin and scribbled a small note. She then stood and ran off with Spike and Kitty.

~0~

"This way." Poodles barked running down the streets of Gotham, the Jewel and Batman following close behind. Poodles then paused.

"What's the hold up?" Batman asked Poodles growled.

"She's headed our way." She growled, the group stopped as a familiar fox eared sight stepped into view.

"Well if it isn't my favorite Crowned hero." Shadow growled crossing her arms as her pets, Spike and Kitty stepped on either side of her, "I see you've teamed up with a bat. Do all you costumed heroes pale around? Or am I just lucky?"

"Shadow Fox," The Jewel shouted holding out a pair of handcuffs, "You are under arrest, Poodles, attack!"

"Don't think so. Oh spike." Shadow cooed next to her Spike growled and ran at Batman and the others. Batman scowled and reached into his belt pulling out a small net launcher and shot at Spike enveloping him in a large net. "Spike!"

"It's over Shadow Fox, turn yourself in." Batman said, Shadow growled.

"I'm not goin' anywhere! Kitty, give em a dose of your poison claws." She demanded, Kitty grinned.

"You got it." She barked The Crown Jewel her dog backed away as the small fox-dog advanced, Kitty then leapt into the air and pounced on Batman scratching through his suit and nicking him in the arm.

"Oh no!" The Jewel mumbled running to Batman, as Shadow ran to spike and untangled him from Batman's net. Once freed Shadow Fox stood.

"Have fun with Kitty's poison Batman." She said, "Oh and Jewel, since I know you have some kind of anti-venom—better give it to him quick, or else you can say bye-bye bats."

With that Shadow and her dogs took off. The Jewel ran to Batman who was now on the ground, Poodles sighed.

"Great, he's poisoned and our anti-venoms is in your bag, which is in your car, which is at Wayne Manor." She grumbled. The Jewel narrowed her eyes.

"You're not helping, dog." She said, Poodles huffed.

"Well don't look at me I can't carry him." She said.

"Maybe I can help." Robin said walking up to the duo, "Batman! What happened?"

"Shadow's dog Kitten, poisonous claws, no time to talk." Jewel said. Robin knelt down to batman, "I have anti-venom in my car, but that's back at Wayne Manor."

"Alright come on I'll take you to the Batcave." Robin said, helping Batman stand. The Jewel nodded and followed him.

**I understand that the whole talking animal is weird, but let's face it—with all due respect to Batman—it's weird. Killer Croc for example. But Love the Bat. See ya review please!**


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